Ruud Lubbers has said the claims are unsubstantiated
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The head of the UN refugee agency, Ruud Lubbers, has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment.
In a letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan, Mr Lubbers said he was quitting because of a lack of confidence in him.
In the letter Mr Lubbers again denied the allegations against him, contained in a leaked internal UN report.
It said that the former Dutch prime minister had engaged in unwanted physical contact with a female employee at his agency in Geneva.
The report added that claims made by other employees indicated a pattern of sexual harassment - although these women had not made official complaints.
The document also accused the UN high commissioner for refugees of abusing his authority in trying to influence the outcome of the investigation.
Insult to injury
In his resignation letter, Mr Lubbers wrote: "The complaint of sexual harassment could not be substantiated."
The commissioner added that he had given all his energy to his agency and now insult had been added to injury.
Mr Lubbers - who met Mr Annan on Friday - earlier said he had not been asked to step down.
The allegations that Mr Lubbers has sexually harassed a female employee first surfaced last year. But Mr Annan - after consulting lawyers - decided they were not backed up by evidence.
The case re-emerged on Friday, when Britain's Independent newspaper published details of the UN confidential report.
So far there has been no official reaction from Mr Annan, but Mr Lubbers' resignation will undoubtedly be accepted, the BBC's Susannah Price at the UN says.
The resignation comes as the UN is already under fire following claims of corruption in its oil-for-food programme in Iraq, and of sexual abuse by peacekeepers in the Congo, our correspondent adds.
Mr Lubbers was appointed in 2001. His term was due to end at the end of this year.